Harry Potter and the Last Encounter
by Sugarhighbob
Summary: What takes place after Harry Potter HBP. Will Harry go back to Hogwarts? What about Ginny? Will Ron and Hermione get together? All will be answered here. WARNING: May be a spoiler for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Enjoy!
1. A Short Visit to the Dursley

Disclaimer- I do not own any characters

Chapter One- A Short Visit to the Dursley's

Harry, Ron, and Hermione silently entered the house that Harry hated. They had just ridden the Hogwarts Express back from Dumbledore's funeral. Mr. and Mrs. Wealsey only let Ron and Hermione accompany Harry to make sure that Harry stayed safe. The only reason that Harry was here, was because Dumbledore wanted him to be here. Otherwise, he would have been gone already. He would be at Godric's Hollow, or at the Burrow, or anywhere else but here.

"Is that you, boy?" asked Uncle Vernon, stepping out of the kitchen. He took a glance at Ron and Hermione. "Who are they?" he asked in a grunt.

"They're my friends from school," Harry said a casual voice. Harry watched as Uncle Vernon's face turned beet red with anger. "Do you have a problem with it? Well, they're going to be staying here with me overnight. Ron's dad is coming to get us in the morning and then you're not going to have to see me again, EVER!"

Harry pushed past Vernon and made his way to his room, followed by Ron and Hermione.

"Petunia-," called Uncle Vernon. "Petunia, get in here right now." Harry heard Uncle Vernon loudly explaining to Aunt Petunia what had just happened, and then noisily complained to her about it.

After Ron and Hermione were in his room, Harry closed the door, which somewhat muffled Uncle Vernon's yells. "This is a strange place," Ron told Harry, examining an old stapler, then swore loudly as he accidentally stapled his thumb. Hermione quickly took the stapler away from Ron and set it back down on Harry's desk. Ron then began prodding at a picture Harry had where none of the people were moving. "That's pointless," he muttered under is breath.

"We'll make our plan tonight," Harry said, sitting on his bed. "We'll stay at the Burrow for a few days, until Bill and Fleur's wedding, and then we'll leave sometime in the night, and make our way to Godric's Hollow."

"Harry, you could still rethink this," Hermione said, sitting besides Harry. "If they don't close Hogwarts, we could go back, live our lives as normal people-"

"Normal?" Harry asked. "How can we ever be normal? Voldemort's after me, and all no matter where we go or what we do, we'll always be in danger. Besides, there is no reason to go back to Hogwarts now that Dumbledore is... dead!"

"Harry," Hermione said. "You know none of can change what happened. We should just accept that he's gone and go on with our lives."

"I'm going to Godric's Hollow and nobody's going to stop me. Are you guys coming with me or not?"

"Of course, Harry," Hermione said, patting him lightly on the back.

Ron added, "I'd follow you to my death."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Harry told them.

At that moment, somebody burst into the room. "What makes you think that I'll let these… freaks stay in my house?" Uncle Vernon said, wagging a fat finger at them.

"Oh they will stay here with me," Harry said, pulling out his wand and pointing in his Uncle's face.

"You can't fool me, boy. I know you can't use magic outside of school."

"You're right," Harry smiled. "I can't, but they can. They're of age now and can use magic whenever they want to." He pointed to Ron and Hermione.

Ron grinned and pointed his wand at Vernon's chest. "You'll let me and Hermione stay here, you fat bean, or… or I'll turn you into a toad."

"Ron, be nice." Hermione scowled. "This is his house we're in."

"That's right," Uncle Vernon said. "My house, so therefore, I want you all to leave right now!"

"We will be staying here." Harry argued.

"THAT'S IT, I WANT YOU AND YOUR FILTHY FRIENDS OUT OF HERE IN TEN SECONDS, OR-"

He never got to finish his sentence, because he began to clutch his ear which was growing to a humongous size. Uncle Vernon hurried downstairs yelling something about needing ice to stop the swelling.

"That takes care of that," Hermione said, lowering her wand.

"Hermione," Ron said, smiling. "You'll have to teach me that one later."

"Sure thing," Hermione said, returning to spot on the bed.

They spent all night planning how they were going to get to Godric's Hollow, and when they could leave, that they grew exhausted and eventually fell asleep all together. They woke the next morning to a loud commotion downstairs, and the unmistakable voice of Arthur Weasley.


	2. Back to the Burrow

Thanks to all of you who reviewed!

Chapter Two- Back to the Burrow

"Hello, Harry, Ron, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said in a cheerful voice. "The sooner we can get going, the better, so if you could get ready and we'll just be on our way." Dudley, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley we're all sitting on a couch in the living room, rather shocked that there were so many wizard we're in their house.

"All right then, I'll just go get my stuff," Harry told them, and hurried back up to his room. He filled his trunk with everything that he'd want to take with him to Godric's Hollow, which wasn't much. He put most of his school books in their and cauldron, just in case. After filling his trunk, he lugged it and Hedwig's cage downstairs to the front door, where he found Mr. Weasley attempting to have a conversation with a very disgruntled Uncle Vernon about Barbeque Grills.

"Ah, Harry, you are ready, then, okay, follow me." Mr. Weasley led them to the fireplace, where he took out his wand and set the fire to the logs inside. "We are traveling by floo powder," he told them. "We're running short on the powder, so I won't be able to come with you. Therefore, I shall Apparate back."

"Oh, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said, urgently. "I have my Apparating License, so I can Apparate back with you."

"Splendid idea, Hermione," Mr. Weasley told her. "That will leave more powder for the boys to use. Also, that reminds me that I have signed both of you up to take your Apparating test the day after Harry's birthday."

"I guess we'll be staying at the Burrow longer than I thought," Harry whispered to Ron, making sure that Ron's Dad couldn't hear him. Ron smiled weakly at Harry and grabbed a pinch of floo powder, before stepping into the flames.

"THE BURROW!" she shouted, then was gone.

Before Harry took the remaining floo powder, he looked around to see the Dursley's watching from a safe distance. With a huge smile on his face, he waved goodbye to them for the last time. "Buh-Bye," he said to them. "I'll be sure _never_ to visit you when I'm older."

He stepped into the flames and yelled, "The Burrow," the same as Ron had. Harry began spinning around and around and watched as she Dursley's house disappeared. Then, before he knew it, he was stepping out the Weasley's fireplace. "Hello, Harry," Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry as Ron clumsily fell out of the fireplace after Harry. There were two loud pops as Hermione and Mr. Weasley appeared in the kitchen nest to them. "We're just getting things organized for the weddings."

"Weddings!" Ron asked.

"Oh of course, Ron, dear," Mrs. Weasley explained. "Remus finally came to his senses and agreed to marry Tonks at Dumbledore's funeral. They are going to get married the same time and place as Bill and Fleur."

"Isn't it a bit soon for them to wed, I mean it was only yesterday they became engaged." Hermione pointed out.

"Yes, but they have been thinking about it for some time before yesterday." Mr. Weasley told them.

"Harry," said a voice from behind them. Harry turned to see Lupin, followed by Tonks enter the room. "It's so glad to see you here safe. Did you have a nice night?"

"Not really," Harry said. "The Dursleys weren't pleased about Ron and Hermione being there, but other than that, it was the best night I'd ever spent in that house. It was a lot more interesting with my friends there with me."

"Now, run along and take your stuff up to Ron's room, and Hermione, you will be staying with Ginny." Mrs. Weasley shooed them upstairs so that she could talk about the weddings. While they made their way to the stairs, Harry saw a Dailey Prophet lying on a table with the headline: DumDum Dumbledore's Death- Will Hogwarts Reopen? He silently tucked the newspaper under his arm, and hurried upstairs after Ron and Hermione.

Harry was trouble lifting his trunk up the stairs, so Ron bewitched it to fly through the air after them for him. Half way up the stairs, they bumped into Ginny, who nervously looked at her shoes when she saw Harry. "Hello," she said after a moment of silence. Harry wanted to hold her, but he also wanted her to be safe.

"How's it going, Ginny?" He asked her.

"Oh, just fine." She replied, and then turned to Hermione. "Come on up to my room, I have your trunk and everything already in there." Hermione and Ginny turned into a room on their left, and Harry watched as Ginny closed the door behind them, and then continued up to the top room in the house.

They stayed in Ron's room, taking about Quidditch and watching a man in one of Ron's posters fly around on a broom, putting the quaffle into the golden hoops again and again, until they heard Mrs. Weasley call everyone down to dinner.


	3. Trouble with the Order

Chapter Three- Trouble with the Order

Harry was surprised to many members of the Order of the Phoenix and every member of the Weasley family, including Percy, already sitting at the table. "Percy made up with mum and dad at Christmas and has been by here every now and then since." Ron whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry took a seat in between Tonks and Ron. "What is the Order doing here, and not at Grimmauld Place?" Harry asked almost immediately after sitting down.

"Bellatrix was enraged when she heard about Sirius' will," Lupin began.

Mad- Eye Moody cut in, "She bloody attacked us and took your house, Harry."

"And nobody fought back?" Harry asked, getting angry.

"Nobody was there to defend it," Lupin explained. "Only Charlie was there."

"And I was happy to get out alive, too." Charlie added.

"When did this happen?" Harry interrogated.

"Only three days ago," Mr. Weasley said.

Harry fell silent for a while and listened to the other conversations as he ate his mashed potatoes. Tonks seemed to be happier now that she was engaged to Lupin and was changing her hair color and style to strange things, making Ginny and Hermione laugh. Lupin was watching her and chuckling at a few of her hair styles. Harry smiled. This was how it was at Grimmauld place two years ago, except Sirius wasn't here this time to join in on the fun.

Moody was having a very loud conversation with Mr. Weasley that Harry couldn't help listening in on. "… I knew he was never to be trusted. I mean for goodness sake, he used to be a death eater."

Arthur nodded his head. "How were we supposed to know that Snape was lying to us the whole time? We were easily fooled. For one thing, Dumbledore trusted him and that good enough for most of us…"

Moody rose from his seat and slammed his fist angrily down on the table. "Why did we even listen to Dumbledore in the first place? How do we know that we could trust Dumbledore? He could have been a death eater too for all we know."

"Calm down, Mad-Eye," Lupin broke in. "Don't say things like that. We know that Dumbledore wasn't a death eater. He was killed by death eaters so he couldn't have been one."

"Nobody can be trusted now." Moody barked. "For all I know, you could be on _his_ side."

The whole room broke out in mass chaos. Everyone began yelling at each other, and Mrs. Weasley was left trying to get everyone to calm down. Fred and George threw their beef in Moody's face, and at one point, Tonks, who was extremely upset, walked out of the room. Harry seemed to be the only one noticing Tonks was gone, so he grabbed Ron, and pulled him out of the room with him so they could look for her and see if she was alright.

She was sitting on a couch in the living room, with her head in her hands, sobbing. "Tonks?" Ron asked. "What's wrong?"

Tonks looked up, and quickly tried to wipe away her tears on her shirt. "Oh, nothing," She said, though her voice was shaking.

"No, really," Harry asked. "What's wrong? You can tell us."

"Well, it's just that, they've been arguing like that since Dumbledore died." She explained. "I'm sick of it, but there's nothing I can do. I'm afraid the Order's falling apart, and without them, there will be nobody to stop You-know-who. I just wish they could get along."

"C'mon, cheer up," Hermione entered the room, unexpectedly. She looked at Ron and Harry. "I saw you leave, so I followed you." She turned back to Tonks, who was now crying again. "I miss you," She said.

"Miss me?" Tonks asked confused. "But I'm right here."

"No I miss the old you," Hermione told her. "The fun you. The one who made us laugh two years ago, the one that always had a fun idea when we were bored."

"I'm sorry," Tonks said, drying her tears again.

Lupin entered the room, looking very angry. "Well, that was an interesting dinner. They've stopped arguing now, finally." He went to go comfort Tonks, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione left them alone. They went up to Ron's room, bringing Ginny with them.

"Do you really think it's true?" Ginny asked, after they explained to her what happened. Harry took this opportunity to read the Dailey Prophet article about Dumbledore. Apparently, Hogwarts was staying open, but who knew how many people would still be going there. "Is the Order really falling apart?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "All we can do is wait and see."

"Ginny, go away for a second," Ron ordered her. "We have to talk to Hermione alone."

Angrily, Ginny left the room, taking one last look at Harry before doing so. "What?" asked Hermione.

"We've had a change of plans," Harry said. "We've decided to leave for Godric's Hollow after Ron and I take our Apparating test, okay?"

"Well, it would be good for you two to have your license before we leave. It might be useful."

"Let's go downstairs to see if mom needs any help cleaning up." Ron said.

"Alright," Harry and Hermione said at the same time, and Harry quickly stuffed the Dailey Prophet into his trunk. They opened the door to Ron's room, surprised to see George standing there.

Ron, a little frightened of what George may have heard asked, "What do you want?"

"Oh nothing," George said, "Just wanted to borrow your cauldron."

"What for?" Ron said.

"Top secret business," George replied.

"Um, sure,"

As George went into Ron's room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way downstairs.


	4. Biscuits

Thanks again to all who reviewed. I appreciate it.

Chapter Four- Biscuits

Harry couldn't believe that he'd been at the Burrow for several weeks already. Tonks had become a little more cheerful as the wedding came nearer, but the Order was still having frequent arguments. Fred and George were around a lot, though they did occasionally have to leave to check up on their store.

Harry, Ron and Hermione decided that they were going to Apparate to Godric's Hollow, that is if Harry and Ron passed their tests. Hermione spent some time looking through some of the Weasley's old books and discovered that even though Godric's Hollow was a muggle town, it had a surprising amount of wizards there. There was even a small inn only for wizards called the Dragon's Nest. The inn had an underground market for wizards, and, to Hermione's delight, there was even a small library that they could use. The innkeeper kept muggles away by keeping a sign in front of it saying 'NO VACANCY.'

The day before the weddings, everybody was scrambling to get everything just perfect. Lupin even asked Harry to be his best man.

"Why would you want me?" Harry asked.

"Well… It's just…" Lupin couldn't find the right words to say, but Harry understood anyway.

"It's because I remind you of my dad." Harry finished.

"To tell you the truth, Yes!"

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Harry." Lupin excitedly shook Harrry hand and scurried off to do some other things for the wedding. He left Harry, who then decided to take a walk. He heard a sniffling sound, like somebody was crying. He was surprised to see Ginny, sitting alone on a bench. She was, indeed, crying.

Harry sat down next to her, and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

Ginny turned to face him, tears streaming down her face. "Oh , Harry," she said, then threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. Harry understood what she meant. She wished they could be boyfriend and girlfriend again.

For a moment, Harry let her cry on his shoulder then said, "I'm sorry Ginny, but you know we can't be seen together like this."

"I don't care," She sobbed. "You-Know-Who could kill me for all I care. I want to be with you, Harry. I feel… safe around you, like no harm could ever come to me."

Harry's heart fluttered. "But your not safe around me," Harry explained to her. "Voldemort will just come after you if your close to me. I can't let that happen."

"Harry please," she begged. "I want to help you fight him."

"Ginny, no," Harry said, harshly. "You don't know how hard it would be for me if something happened to you." He got up and walked away, leaving her alone to cry.

He felt like a monster.

_How could you be so mean to her?_ He thought to himself. I'm trying to keep her safe. _But you love her and you know it._ I don't want her to get hurt. _She loves you too, you know…_

"Harry… what's wrong?" Hermione asked when Harry walked back up to the house.

"Oh, nothing, I was just talking to Ginny…"

Fred cut him off. "Hello, you three," He said, walking up to them, followed by George.

"Lovely day," George said. "Would you like to join us for tea?"

"Um… sure," Ron said, suspiciously. He, Hermione, and Harry followed them to their room.

Fred poured them tea, and George offered them biscuits. "Okay what's wrong with you two?" Ron asked. "Your actually being… nice."

"Mom told us to be mature for the wedding, so we're taking her advice literally," George explained.

Ron snorted as he sipped his tea, causing it to splash over the floor.

"All right, what's up?" Fred asked, interrogatingly, as Hermione took a bite of her biscuit.

"What do you mean what's up?" Harry asked.

"We've seen you guys whispering and sneaking off," George said. "We know your planning something. What are you planning?"

"We're not going to Hogwarts this year," Ron said, in a fast, higher than normal voice.

"Ron," Hermione yelled, then lowering her voice said, "I thought we weren't going to tell anyone."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it just…happened. "Ron argued.

"Where are you going?" Fred asked as a smile grew on his face.

"Godric's Hollow," Harry said, then looked very surprised at having said it.

"When are you leaving?" The twins said at the same time.

"The day after they Harry and Ron take their Apparation test," Hermione said, then clasped a hand over her mouth, then slowly lowering it asked, "What did you put in our biscuits?"

"Your very smart, Hermione," Fred said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Not anyone could figure out we put a truth-telling potion in your biscuits."

"It's our latest product," George explained. "You three have just proved that it worked, so it'll go on sale around… Christmas."

"You can't tell anyone," Ron begged. "Please…"

"Of course we won't tell anyone," Fred said.

"You know us," George said. "We're honest and never ever do anything wrong."

"Oh, dear," Hermione said, putting her face in her hands.


	5. The Bees and the Bonds

Chapter Five- The Bees and the Bonds

Harry woke up later than usual the next morning. It seemed like everyone else was already awake except for him. He slowly made his way down to breakfast, where he was surprised to learn that Hermione was going to be Tonks' Maid of Honor, and Ginny, unhappily, was going to be Fleur's. "We are going to be family. We should get to know eechozer better." She said. Charlie was going to be Bill's Best Man. Fleur didn't seem bothered at all by Bill's scars and Lupin had even determined that Bill was not a full werewolf, but did experience strange attitudes and uncommon hair during full moons.

Many people had arrived late the previous night, or early that morning, including Fleur's sister Gabrielle, who was delighted to see Harry. She followed him and blushed when Harry said "Hi," to her.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked him when she saw him at the table.

"Um… Eating," Harry replied.

"You should be getting ready for the wedding," She took his plate away and shooed him upstairs.

Harry tried his best to get ready, but before he was finished, Mr. Weasley came to get him. Everybody was already out in the backyard.

"Harry, over here," Hermione told him, pulling over behind a bush. Hermione was dressed in a beautiful blue dress and had her hair in a fancy looking bun in the back of her head. "Oh, it's supposed to start soon." She straightened Harry's bow, looking excited, then tried to smooth down his hair, got frustrated and gave up.

"You look simply dashing, Percy," Fred said, as Percy put a flower in the pocket of his suit.

"Yes, you look very exquisite." George said, pushing George out of the way. When Percy left, Fred and George sniggered as they watched him go. "We gave a flower that attracts bees to him."

"Angry bees," Fred added.

Some strange, high-pitched music started, and Fred and George hurried to take their seats. "Ooo, this is exciting," Hermione whispered to him. Harry had never been to a wizard wedding before, in fact, he'd never been to a wedding at all. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him down the aisle. Harry's face felt hot as everybody starred at him. At the end of the aisle, there was a basin on a table with two goblets next to it, and when Harry and Hermione reached it, they separated. Harry went to stand by Lupin and Bill, and Hermione went to an open spot where the brides were not at, yet.

The next two to come down the aisle were Ginny and Charlie. Harry couldn't keep his eyes off of Ginny. She looked absolutely beautiful to Harry. She was wearing the same dress as Hermione and had here hair in the same way. She had a huge smile on her face, and at one point, she looked at Harry, saw him looking at her, then quickly looked away again. Charlie came to stand next to Harry, and Ginny next to Hermione.

Then, Tonks and Fleur came. They were both wearing identical dressed that were pure white. They went to stand by Hermione and Ginny. Moody stepped forward and said, "Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, step behind the basin." They both did as they were told. "Do you, Bill, take Fleur to be your wife, through hexes and cures, through peril and safety, to death do you part?"

"Upon my wand, I do," Bill said.

Moody repeated the same thing to Fleur, who said, "Upon my wand, I do."

Bill took a goblet and filled it with whatever was in the basin, then drank half of it. When he was finished, he handed the goblet to Fleur, who drank the remainder of it. Bill and Fleur then kissed as the crowd cheered, and took a few steps backwards.

"Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, please step behind the basin."

They did as they were told, then Moody repeated the same vow to them as he had for Bill and Fleur and both said, "Upon my wand, I do." Lupin took the goblet and filled the glass, then drank from it. Harry had never seen Lupin happier since he's known him. Tonks drank the rest, then they kissed. There was applause and Harry looked out and watched the crowd. Harry saw Percy swat angrily at a few bees that were flying around his head, and suppressed a laugh.

Mr. Weasley stood up from his chair and said, "Now that the weddings are over, we shall have a party for any who would like to stay. Please make your way towards the house for food." Everybody went to the house because it was now after lunch time. Mr. Weasley flicked his wand and the chairs disappeared, and music began to play for anyone who wanted to dance.

After everyone had had chicken and some cake, they began to make their way outside to dance. "You look beautiful, Hermione," Ron said, going slightly red. To Harry's surprised, Ron asked Hermione to dance with him, and Hermione accepted. Harry was left alone.

"'Ello 'Arry," said a voice, and Harry turned to see Gabrielle standing behind him. "Would you like to dance?"

Harry considered it for a moment, then decided, "Alright," and let Gabrielle lead him out on the dance floor.

Harry regretted saying yes almost instantly. Gabrielle liked to spin a lot and made Harry very dizzy. She also stepped on his feet a lot. Harry looked for the first chance he could to get away, so when he saw Ron and Hermione going into the house, he mumbled something about being hungry and followed them.

"Harry," Hermione said when she saw him. "We've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?"

"Dancing," Harry told her. "With Gabrielle."

"Doesn't seem like Ginny was too happy about that," Ron pointed to Ginny who was sitting in a chair, alone in the corner, looking rather glum. "You should ask her to dance with you."

"I can't," Harry argued. "You know I can't"

"One dance isn't going to hurt anybody," Hermione said. "It might make her feel better."

"I don't want her to get her hopes up," Harry pointed out.

"Oh, come on, mate," Ron said shoving Harry towards Ginny. "Just dance with her."

As soon as Harry reached Ginny her said, "Would you like to dance with me?"

Ginny looked up, saw Harry, and smiled. "Sure," she said, and then led him out to the dance floor. After they danced through the first song, Harry determined that Ginny was not a bad dancer. He rather enjoyed dancing with her, and danced through several more songs. Ginny became thirsty and went inside to get some punch. When she returned, she and Harry sat down on the bench in the garden. Percy walked by, swatting angrily at bees, and yelling loudly as one stung him in the arm.

It was getting late and sun was beginning to set. Harry was surprised the party had lasted this long. "The sunset is beautiful," Ginny said, after and awkward silence. Then, without warning, she kissed him. Harry pulled away, and stood up surprised. "Harry, I'm sorry," Ginny said, standing up, too. She seemed just as surprised as he was. "I'm really sorry."

"I…I've got to go." Harry said, and then hurried as fast as he could inside. This was just what he was afraid was going to happen.


	6. The Test

Chapter Six- The Test

Harry's birthday came up soon, and, to his surprise, there was a small party. He got a cake that Mrs. Weasley baked for him. It said, "Happy Birthday, Harry" on it, and had the number 17 in below that. It tasted delicious. Harry also got a collection of presents. Ron gave him a new and improved broom compass, which Harry didn't understand why he gave it to him because he wasn't going to be playing Quidditch anymore. Hermione, of course, gave a new book about arming yourself against dark wizards. Fred and George gave him a shield cloak and other goods from their shop, which they had decided to expand to Hogsmead. Ginny even gave him a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

Harry had the best birthday he'd ever had in his life. He felt very guilty that he would be leaving all of it behind in two nights. He began to ask himself questions regarding problems that might occur. What if he didn't pass his Apparation Test? He supposed that he could ride his broom, but what about Hermione? She wasn't very talented at riding brooms at all. She forced himself to push that aside and worry about it later.

Later that night, Fred and George pulled Harry aside. "Happy Birthday, Harry." They said at the same time. Fred held out a small bag, and motioned for Harry to take it.

Harry looked inside and was surprised to see galleons and sickles in it. "What's this for? I don't want it." Harry said, pushing it back to them.

George refused to take it. "You helped us out when we needed it, now we're going to help you."

"Take that with you when you… you know… leave and it might help you a little." Fred said. "We aren't taking it back, so you can either keep it, or throw it out. It's your choice." The twins walked away, leaving Harry somewhat confused. Harry grunted and put the bag in his pocket.

The next morning, Mrs. Weasley woke Harry and Ron up early, so they wouldn't be late for their apparition test. "There's going to be a Portkey that will take you to Hogsmead." Mr. Weasley explained. "Red, George and I will be accompanying you."

"Why Fred and George?" Ron asked, between mouthfuls of toast.

"We bought a shop for our Weasley Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmead," Fred explained, coming in.

"We want to start setting thing up there," George continued.

Harry was still angry about the money that they had given then. He hadn't told Ron yet, because Ron would get too excited and spend all the money on the first thing he saw. He decided to save it until they really needed it. "Right then," Mr. Weasley said, when everyone had done eating. "Let's go."

Fred, George, Harry, and Ron followed Mr. Weasley down the hall. Hermione and Ginny were just coming down the stairs, still in their pajamas. "Good luck," Hermione whispered to them as she hurried into the kitchen. Ron gave a look of worry, and Harry tried to stay calm. But, what if he didn't pass? Again, he forced himself to push those thoughts out of his head.

When they were outside, Fred said, "Meet you there," and both of them disappeared with a pop.

"Well," Mr. Weasley said, like he wasn't expecting Fred and George to leave just yet. "Alright then, come on." They walked up the street around a corner, where Harry saw four more people. Two of them, he didn't recognize, but two of them he did. They were Neville Longbottom and his grandmother.

"Neville… what are you doing here?" Harry asked, slightly confused.

"I'm using the Portkey to get to the Apparation test." Neville said. "I just know I'm going to fail though."

"Yeah," Ron said. "I know what you mean." The tips of his ears turned red when he thought about how he failed his test the first time.

"Everybody here?" said a man that Harry didn't know. "Okay, everybody grab on." He held a tire out in front of him and everybody took a hold of it. Harry felt his feet lift from the floor and he was being pulled. After a few moments, he felt something solid underneath him again, and let go of the tire.

Harry saw that he was standing outside of the Hogshead pub, and looked questioningly at Ron. "This is where we take the test," Ron told him, pushing him, so that he would walk inside. There was nobody in the pub except wizards around Harry's age, maybe a little older. Some of them he recognized. The man that held the Portkey when Harry and Ron came stood on a chair, so he was taller than everyone and said:

"May I have your attention, please." It took a few seconds for everyone to quiet down then the man continued. "Welcome to the summer Apparation Test. You will wait outside until we call your name, then you will go upstairs, he motioned towards a set of stairs at the other side of the room. "When we tell you to, you will Apparate downstairs, where a wizard will be waiting for you. If you Apparate without any problems, you will receive your license."

It didn't seem very complicated to Harry, so he wasn't very nervous, but Ron, on the other hand, looked as though he was about to faint. The crowd shuffled outside, and the man called somebody's name that Harry hadn't heard before, and a handsome boy with sand hair went inside. "Hello," said a voice, as Fred and George walked up to them. It was Fred. "Good luck little brother," he said, ruffling Ron's hair.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot, Fred," George said with a smirk on his face. "You and I passed our test the first time we took it and here's Ickle-Ronny-Poo about to take it for a second time."

"Shut up," Ron said, turning even redder than he was.

"We'll see you later," George said to Mr. Weasley. "We're going to go see the shop."

"Yeah, people seem really excited that we're branching off. Well, see you then, Bye." The two went off, talking in a low voice about something that Harry couldn't hear.

"Harry Potter," said a voice the doorway. Harry's stomach lurched as he stepped forward. Ron wished him good luck as Harry stepped inside of the pub. He looked around for a second, thinking about how weird it was seeing the Hogshead completely empty, before heading up the stairs. A man was sitting in a seat directly in front of Harry when he opened the door at the top of the stairs.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, close the door behind you." The man said. "You've just turned seventeen I see. Barley old enough to take the test." Harry nodded, now nervous. "Well, do what you have to do to Apparate."

Harry's mouth went dry, but he remembered the three D's. He concentrated and believed that he could make it downstairs. He turned on the spot and felt himself being squeezed, and all the air left him. He suddenly saw the downstairs of the Hogshead, and he felt alright. Nothing seemed to be missing. "Well done, said a different man. "You've passed. He scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Harry. It was a certificate saying that he passed the test. A sigh of relief passed Harry's lips as he mad his way outside.

"Ronald Weasley," said the man, and Ron, looking now extremely nervous, went inside.

"Well done, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, cuffing Harry on the shoulder. "I knew you could do it."

It didn't long before Ron came out, looking extremely pleased. He too, had gotten his license. "I thought I'd lost a toenail or something, but I didn't and they passed me." He seemed to be in somewhat of a shock. Neville, of course, failed his test because he left an ear behind, but his Grandmother said that he could try again in the fall.

"You two can Apparate home, and I'll go see Fred and George's new shop," Mr. Weasley took off down the street, and left Harry and Ron. Harry smiled, turned the spot, and felt the familiar sensation of Appartating.


	7. Silent Goodbyes

Thanks again to those who reviewed. Trebs12: Thanks for the tip about Neville's B-day.

Chapter Seven- Silent Good-Byes

Hermione snuck into Ron's room early the next morning around two a-clock AM. She silently woke them up and ushered them downstairs to the kitchen, making sure they brought their belongings with them. On the way downstairs, Harry peered into Ginny's room, and saw her sleeping soundly. A pang of guilt struck him, giving him a sudden stomach ache. What if he never saw Ginny again? At least she'd be safe.

Silently, the trio entered the kitchen, to find Fred and George waiting for them. "Hello," George said, in a voice just above a whisper.

"Just wanted to wish you good luck," Fred said.

"Now don't go getting yourselves into trouble," George said, sounding remarkably like Mrs. Weasley.

"We don't want to have to come rescue you," Fred said in the same voice.

Hermione chuckled, but Ron, however, was not smiling. "You do realize this might be the last time you ever see me again, right?"

Footsteps echoed up the stairs, and all five of them turned to see Ginny stumble down into the kitchen, fully dressed. "You didn't say goodbye to me before you left?" she asked Ron. "I'm your sister, and you didn't even tell me?"

"How'd you find out?" Ron asked her.

Ginny took a seat at the table, and merely said, "Fred and George."

Fred looked worriedly at George and said, "Uh, time to go, good luck on your journey." With a pop, both of them disappeared. Ginny took a biscuit from a bowl in the center of the table and began eating it.

"So why didn't you tell me?" she asked them.

"Because we knew you'd tell mum and dad," Ron explained. "You can never keep secrets."

"I didn't tell them now," She argued. Ron snarled and turned away.

"Listen, Ginny, we really have to go now," Hermione said. "Goodbye, I'll miss you." It was rather hard for her to say bye to her best friend, but Ginny only sat there and smiled.

"I won't miss you," she told her. "I won't have to because I'm coming with you."

"No your not," Harry blurted out.

"There is no way that I'm taking my little sister to Godric's Hollow with me. It's too dangerous." Ron told her.

"I'm coming anyway, and nothing you say will stop me." Ginny told him. "I know where your going and I'm going to follow you. There's no use trying to convince me because you can't."

"You can't Apparate, Ginny," Ron told her. "We're going to Apparate, and besides you have to go to school."

"There are other ways to get to Godric's Hollow other than to Apparate, and so what if I miss school, you are." She told them.

"Listen, Ginny," Harry said, sitting next to her. "I told you that I wanted to keep you safe, and this is the only way to keep you safe. Please, stay here. We can't risk you getting hurt."

Tears formed in Ginny's eyes. "But, I want to help you guys. I can help, you know."

"I don't want to have to be looking after you," Ron put in.

"But what about what I want to do," Ginny told him.

"The answer is no. That's final and I'm not changing it." Ron spat at her.

"Fine," Ginny crossed her arms at the table.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Hermione said. "Good bye."

"I'm sorry too," Ron said. "But you just to have to understand, you can't come with us." Ginny stood up, and he hugged his sister. "I really am going to miss you."

"Ginny…" Harry didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected that he would have to say goodbye to her. She hugged him and he hugged her back. "I promise I'm come back for you someday." He told her, as tears leaked down her face.

"Bye," Ginny told them all, stepping backwards.

Harry looked at Ginny one last time, and turned around. He felt himself being compressed in a small tube, and the kitchen began to fade away.


	8. Dragon's Nest

_I've finally updated. Sorry it took so long. School, you know how it is. Sorry it's not that long, but if you make the text bigger, it'll seem like its longer!_

Chapter Eight- The Dragons Nest

Harry felt the ground stabilize beneath his feet. He felt the guilt swell up inside him, at the thought of leaving Ginny like that. He wished she could come, she could be next to him right now, but it was far too dangerous. He tried pushed the thoughts from his mind, and turned to see Ron and Hermione standing beside him. "Well, here we are, mate," Ron said, seeing the disheartened look in Harry's eyes. "This is what you wanted."

"Yeah," Harry mumbled, concentrating on a piece of paper that blowing across the ground.

"Aw, Cheer up Harry," Hermione begged, pulling on Harry's wrist. "It's not that bad. Ginny will be fine." She paused, seeing that here speech was only making Harry more heart sore. "Well," she smiled nervously, "It's this way…I think." She took a few steps, then turned around to make sure Harry was following. He was still starring at the ground. She strode back to him, and lifted his chin. "Harry, believe me, you have to move on. You know that you have to fight, um, him," she glanced around to make sure nobody else was listening. "You can't do that if you don't have your mind in the right place."

That seemed to snap Harry out of a trance. "Er, which way?" he asked.

Hermione smiled. "Follow me," she took of down a strange street, and Harry and Ron exchanged nervous looks, before following her.

Harry looked around for the first time since he got there. The streets seemed crooked, and some of the houses seemed to be 200 years old. Shops were at the edges of the streets, and, even though it was the middle of the night, a few people walked on the sidewalks. Hermione took a turn down a dark alleyway, and walked towards a dark building at the end. Ron grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. "Are you sure we should go down there?" he asked, in a higher pitched voice than normal.

Hermione only chuckled, and took Ron's hand. "Don't be silly," she lead both of them to the door of the inn. Bravely, she opened the door, and was greeted by a wave of noise. Wizards of all ages were sitting at tables, drinking butterbeer, and talking in voices far louder than necessary. The scene seemed to somehow cheer Harry up a bit.

"Hullo there," A man said, casually walking up them, with a cup in one hand. He had shaggy blond hair and glasses that perched on the end of his nose. There was a little bit of beard, and he seemed to be dressed in muggle clothes. He swayed dangerously, obviously drunk. "I'm the manager here, name's Sam. What can I do for you," He used large hand motions and slurred his words together to a point where it was almost incomprehensible.

After a moment, where Hermione looked at him in pure disgust, she spoke to him. 'Um… yes, we're here to get two rooms, if you have any."

"Of course, of course," Sam grabbed Hermione around the shoulders, pulling her hand away from Ron's, leaving Ron to, angrily, follow. He led her to a bar where he called to the bartender. "Oiy, James, get me four butterbeers." Harry looked at his father's name. He looked at the man behind the counter, but then disappointment took him as he realized it wasn't his dad at all. James didn't look anything like Harry's dad. He had a dark blond hair fell loosely around his face and he had a scar that ran from his right ear to his left eyebrow.

"Are you sure you should be having another, Sam?" James asked. "You've had quite a few already."

"Nonsense," Sam argued. "I'm perfectly capable of having another. James sighed and pushed four glasses towards Sam. Harry, Ron, and Hermione each grabbed a glass, and Sam grabbed the last.

"Now, your rooms," Sam said, stumbling over the words.

"Yes, you'll have rooms thirteen and fourteen." He staggered over to his counter and pulled out two keys, handing one to Harry, and one to Hermione, although he let go of the key before Hermione had it in her grasp, making Hermione have to pick if up off the floor. Harry pulled some coins out of his pocket, handing them to Sam, who dropped many of them, but didn't seem to notice. Grateful to have a reason to get away from Sam, the trio made their way up the old stairs leading to their rooms.

"Right," Ron said looking at his key. "Harry and I've got thirteen and you've got fourteen. Great, right across the hall from each other."

Harry hauled his trunk into the room and plopped it on the bed. He sat down next to it, yawning loudly. "How 'bout we go to bed, now."

"Oh, no," Hermione squealed. "We can't do that. We've only just gotten here. Isn't it exciting? I wouldn't be able to sleep without looking at the library. Why don't you guys come too?"

"What would you want to go the library for?" Ron asked, sitting next Harry. "It's the middle of the night, we can do it in the morning."

"I haven't even seem what books they have here, yet," Hermione argued. "Maybe they'll have something that Hogwarts didn't. I'm hoping they'll have books about the dark arts, so I can read up and find something about Horcruxes. Aren't you guys even the slightest bit curious about the Dragon Nest's shops?"

Harry yawned and shook his head.

"Oh, honestly," Hermione said, and walked off to go look in the library by herself.

"We'll do it tomorrow," Harry muttered to Ron, before laying his head on his trunk and.

"I do feel kind of bad about making Hermione go do it all by herself though," Ron said. Harry didn't answer, and Ron realized he was already asleep.

"Ron, Harry, wake up," Hermione said, banging loudly on their door.

"Wha', who's there," Ron asked sitting up slowly.

Harry groaned and opened the door, only to leap back as Hermione burst into the room.

"You won't believe the library they have here," she told them. "Almost as many books as at Hogwarts, honestly. A lot of useful information, too."

"Did you find anything new about the Horcruxes or anything like that?" Harry asked, suddenly awake.

"Er…. No," Hermione told them, seeming somewhat ashamed. "Not that I've found."

"Then wha'd'ya wake us up for?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I wanted to go the shops," She explained. "I've almost run out of parchment."

"Alright," Harry grumbled, still angry that she had woken then up early. He ran a hand through his hair, and considered it brushed, then pulled out a bag from his trunk and put his invisibility cloak in it, remembering what Dumbledore had told him about keeping it with him at all times. Hermione, who hadn't slept at all the previous night, seemed more awake then Ron and Harry put together as she bounded down the stairs.

"This way," she told Harry and Ron, leading them into a room that they had not seen the previous night.

"Hermione, slow down," Ron yelled after her. "I can't keep up, and I don't want you to get separated from us." He ran up to her and pulled her back, keeping his arm around her shoulder.

The room they entered was the library. "Hermione, I thought we going to the shops." Harry argued.

"Oh we are," Hermione said, and pulled a book from the shelf. A panel of book flew off of their shelves and the boards magically disappeared showing a secret passageway, and a lot of stairs. "Come on," she said, grabbing their wrists and leading them down.


	9. Below the Ground

_Not trying to be mean just trying to get review. I will not, I repeat WILL NOT update until I have at least 23 reviews._

Chapter Nine- Below the Ground

Hermione led them down what seemed to be an endless flight of stairs. All Harry could thing about was the how long and agonizing it would be to climb back up. The stairs seemed to be extremely dim, also, and Hermione was grabbing Harry's wand hand, so he didn't have access to it to give off some light. Suddenly, the ground leveled out, causing Harry to trip, thinking there was more stairs in front of him.

"Bloody hell," Ron swore. "That was the longest flight of stairs I've ever taken."

"Oh, shut up," Hermione told him. "It wasn't that bad."

It took a moment for Harry's eyes to adjust to the light, but after a few moments they did. The ceiling wasn't very high, probably only eight feet tall. It also didn't seem like there were many people there. "Bad business," Hermione told him. "Since you-know-who came back, barely anyone comes down here." Harry thought it also might have to do with the fact that it was dark and somewhat creepy. There were only a few shops, about ten in all, and none of them seemed at all interesting. A light shone in Harry's face, causing him squint. The only source of light was a few balls of light floating around, and one of them went right in front of the trio.

"It's… interesting," Harry muttered

"Oh come on," Hermione said. "It's not that bad." She walked into a shop called _Madame Guinevere's Books_, and Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at each other and followed her. Inside the shop was even darker. It smelled of mold and the books all looked damp. It didn't seem to bother Hermione, but Ron was extremely upset that he found a spider in the corner of the store.

A hand grabbed Harry's shoulder, spinning him around. Harry couldn't tell who's hand was now grasping his shoulder, for the body was completely covered in shadows. "It's you," a voice scowled. "The boy. Harry Potter."

"Er… yes," Harry said, hi voice was somewhat shaky. The body now moved slowly out of the shadows, revealing an elderly woman in hanging clothes and crooked teeth.

"Here," she shoved an old book at Harry. "Take this."

Harry cautiously took the book from her, and looked it over. It was extremely old, and was falling apart in some places, but the strangest thing was, there were no words on pages. "I'm sorry, but I don't want this."

"Yes you do," The women said. "Take it from me."

"Why do you want me to have it?"

"I don't want you have it," The women said. "Someone else does. I'm simply a messenger that was told to give it to you when I saw you."

"Don't take it, Harry," Hermione whispered to him. "It could from… him, You-know-who."

"Heavens, no." The women said. "I don't make dealings with him. It's from someone else, and he wants YOU to take it."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, handing the book back to her. "I can't take it." He tried to give her back the book.

The woman simply laughed. "He said you'd refuse to have it. He also said to force you take it, by all means necessary." The old woman took out her wand. "Now, we can wither do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Harry instinctively grasped his wand, whirling it out of his pocket. "Harry, no, don't do anything you'll regret." Hermione screeched, pulling Harry back. "Just take the book and leave; we'll get rid of it later."

"Fine," Harry scowled at her. He pocketed his wand, and abruptly left the shop.

"You won't regret your decision," The woman called after them.

When they were safely outside the shop, Ron began interrogating Harry. "So what's in it?"

"Nothing," Harry replied. "It's completely empty."

Ron grabbed at the book, opening to the first page. "No it's not," He said, look. Harry took the book back and to his surprise, Ron was right. It was right there, writing. Scratchy writing that Harry could have sworn had not been there before. "Well, what does it say?" Ron asked.

"I dunno," Harry told him, calmly. "It's too dim in here to read it."

"We'll just have to go up the stairs, then and read it where there's light." Ron suggested.

"Go all the way up the stairs?" Harry asked. "That'll take forever. I swear they have to come up with a different way to get down here and back. I'm going to find out what it says now." He took out his wand, ready to recite a spell.

"Harry, no." Hermione told his. "I thought we agreed to get rid of the book."

"We will," Harry assured her. "After we find out what it says." He readied his wand and muttered, "_Lumos_" Light came forth from his wand, lighting a small area before them.

As soon as they saw what was written, all three of them exchanged confused glances. Not even caring about how far they had to climb, they raced up the stairs, to where they could discuss this more privately. Where they could discuss why this was written there, why the lady had known to give the book to Harry, and why the writing in the book, with no doubt, belonged to Dumbledore.

_Yup, I tried to make it suspenseful. I hope you liked it. Please R&R. Heck, ya know what, you don't even have to read it, just review. Just kidding._


	10. Dumbledore's Book

**PLEASE review, I have no idea what you guys think of my story because you're not telling me, so Please, I'm begging you review, review.**

**Thank you to those who did review on the last chapter.** J** This chapter is dedicated to ****ChudleyCannonsRok****, my 23rd reviewer. **

Chapter Ten- Dumbledore's Book

_By now, you're probably in the Dragon's Nest, where I expected you to go. There is no way for me to convince you to go back to Hogwarts because I know you must face your destiny. I am now, I presume, dead. Yes, I know I am going to die. I also know Professor Snape is my killer. You mustn't be angry with him. I myself am not angry with him. It's all part of your destiny. You may not understand now, but it will come together sooner or later. I will try my best to explain. _

_Severus__ never really gave up his part as a death eater, I know. He was playing both sides. He gave Voldemort information, and he gave me information about Voldemort. Yes, I knew about this, and yes, I trusted him. It was his choice to be a death eater, and there is nothing I can do about that. As for the part about killing me, I told him to do it. I ordered Severus to protect Draco by all means necessary. Severus already had an unbreakable vow with Draco's mother, saying he would protect her son, and I agreed with it. It is not Severus' fault that I am dead._

_As for what you are to now, stay where you are. There will be a time when you are needed, and you will know when it is. I presume that Fred and George weaseled your little plan out of you by now. Keep in touch with them. They will help reassure your parents and let them know you are alright. And, Harry, Ginny will have a bigger plot in this than you want her too._

_As for me, remember that I am always with you. Your course is set; all you can do is finish your part in it. Remain faithful to me, and I will always be there to help you._

There was a silence after Harry read aloud to them what was written in the book. After climbing the stairs, they had gone into Harry and Ron's room, and put a soundproof charm on the door. "Well…" Harry said. "That's it. That's all that he wrote."

"And he knew all of this was going to happen before it did." Ron told them.

"He trusted Snape even though he knew Snape would be the death of him. I just can't believe someone would do something like that." Hermione sat down on the bed next to Harry, obviously confused, and slightly teary eyes. Ron put an arm around her shoulder to try to comfort her.

"As for me," Ron said. "If I ever see that Draco again, I'll forget about my wand, and personally wring his neck with my bare hands."

"Ron, no," Hermione told him. "It's what Dumbledore wanted. He wanted things to be like this."

"Dumbledore was wrong," Harry said. "He was wrong about all of this." His temper had begun to rise, and he stood up suddenly.

"Harry, calm down." Hermione tried to grab his wrist, but Harry yanked it away. "Harry, Dumbledore is always right, you just have to trust that he did all this for a reason."

"How could he do that," Harry's voice was raising to a shout. "He knew it going to happen and he didn't stop it."

"He has his reason's, mate,' Ron told him.

"How could he have known he was going to get killed, and leave me all alone." Harry shouted at him.

"We're here," Hermione had tears streaking down her face. "Your not alone, we're…"

'I can't do this by myself," Harry yelled at her. "I need him to help me, but he can't. He left me. Now I don't have anything I can do. He's not here to help me with it. And I hate him for it."

He turned and wrenched open the door, turning down the hall, and flying down the stairs. Hermione turned and sobbed on Ron's shoulder. "Is he going to be alright?" She asked him.

Ron stroked her hair. "He'll calm down eventually."

Harry sat at a table downstairs, rolling his empty butterbeer glass around on the table. James, the bar tender sat next to him, and cleaned up the drops of butterbeer on the table. "What's wrong with you?" He asked Harry after a few moments.

"Nothing," Harry scowled.

"Doesn't look like nothing. It sure something."

"Never mind," Harry grumbled. "Just leave me alone."

"Alright," James told him. "But if you ever need someone to talk to…" He got up from the table and walked back to his place behind the bar. "Oh and by the way," He added to Harry. "This came for you this morning. An owl dropped it off." He threw an envelope across room, so it landed on the table in front of Harry.

**Sorry its short, but I didn't want to leave you in suspense.**


	11. The Dream

**Thank you so much for all who reviewed. I was really surprised. Keep the reviews coming, please.**

Chapter Eleven- The Dream

Harry didn't open the envelope right away. It was addressed to _Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley, _so it wasn't entirely his to open. He would have to wait until he could go back and talk to Ron and Hermione. He felt embarrassed and afraid of his two best friends would say to him. He starred at the envelope for a few minutes, thinking he had finally cracked, yelling at them like that, until the guilt became too unbearable. It wasn't there fault that Dumbledore left him. He gulped down the last contents of his second butterbeer and returned up the stairs to his room.

He stepped into the room, and heard a squeak from Hermione that made him lookup. His jaw dropped as he was surprised to see Ron and Hermione breaking apart… from a kiss. All three of them turned red. "Oh… Um… Er…. I'm sorry I interrupted you," Harry said. He turned to leave.

"Harry wait," Hermione called to him. He felt afraid to turn around. This is what he had been dreading. Ron and Hermione-together. Now, they would pay no attention to him anymore, leaving him alone. They wouldn't have time for him anymore. No, his friends wouldn't do that to him, would they.

Ron's face was bright red. "Sorry, mate," He said, desperately searching for another subject to talk about. "What's that you've got there?" He pointed to the envelope Harry still clutched in his right hand.

Harry had completely forgotten about the envelope. "Oh… It came for us… I mean all three of us." He laughed nervously. This was crazy, he had never been nervous around his best friends before. He held out the envelope to them. Hermione grabbed the envelope from him, and ripped the top. A letter fell out into her lap. She unfolded it, and read it in her head.

"It's from Fred and George," She said, handing it to Harry.

_Hermione, Harry, and Ron,_

_Things are complete chaos here at home. Since you left, mum's been in a depression, and hasn't cooked dinner for us starving kids. Hogwarts terms started up, but Ginny's gone. We don't where she went, she just left. She cried all day after you left, then when she went to get on the Hogwarts express, she just disappeared.. Maybe your guys' brilliant plan wasn't so brilliant after all. No wait it was dumb. I don't even we've done anything _that _stupid, and that's saying something. We keep trying to tell mum your fine, but she's sobbing so loud she can't even hear us. Dads taken days off work to go look for you. I hope you come home soon. All of this depression is even making us a little teary eyed. _

_-Fred and George_

Harry didn't say a word, just handed the letter to Ron. Ginny, missing? What was he going to do about it? Where was she now? He was so preoccupied, that he barely heard Ron whimper when he heard that his sister was gone. He completely blocked out Hermione trying to calm Ron down. All he wanted to do was sleep. It was the middle of the night, and he couldn't even keep his thoughts straight anymore. See silently walked to his bed, and lay on it, trying not to pay any attention to Ron and Hermione.

Hermione looked at Harry, noticing that he wanted to be left alone, and silently left the room. Ron, still confused that Ginny was gone, barely mumbled good night to Harry, before turning out the light.

Harry had no idea that he affected that many people. What were things like at the Burrow right now? They were safe and sound in the Weasley's house, but what about Ginny. She left because of him. She left because they left. He rolled over, and tried to push it all from his mind, but Ginny's face kept coming back. It was his fault. If anything happened to her, it would be his and Ron and Hermione's fault.

Finally, though all the thoughts still bothered him, he drifted off to sleep.

Ginny was there. She was in trouble, in pain. He tried to reach out to help her, but she kept getting farther away. He just couldn't reach her. Suddenly, he was on the Hogwarts' Express. He had an unbearable urge to find Ginny, but she wasn't in any of the compartments. Finally, out of hope, he sat in one of the empty compartments, and put his head in his hands in frustration. There was a Daily Prophet on the floor in front of him. The headline made his teeth chatter, and tears run down his face. INNOCENT GIRL, GINNY WEASLEY, CAUGHT BY THE DARK LORD AND KILLED. This was his fault. He didn't mean for her to get hurt it just…

Ron shook him awake. "Harry are you alright, mate?"

"What?" Harry asked, sitting up. He was sweating and his scar hurt.

"You were rolling around, and mumbling something. I though you were having a seizure or something."

"No, I'm fine," Harry panted, laying back down. "I just need rest."

"If you say so."


	12. The Shadow in the Night

Chapter Twelve- The Shadow in the Night

The next week seemed to go slower than the time Harry had spent at the Dursley's. They had written back to Fred and George, telling them that everything was just peachy here, and asked if they had heard anything about Ginny. Harry couldn't get his mind off of her, and didn't seem hear anything that Ron or Hermione said to him. Ron and Hermione seemed to be spending more time alone, now, and it seemed hard for Harry to find time to spend with them. He started talking to James more, and every now and then, found himself in the library, trying to find books on anything he could do to find Ginny.

He found few books that looked interesting, but nothing that would help him. "So, you've finally seen things my way, have you?" Hermione asked when she caught him in the library one night.

"Er… no, just curious about Horcruxes," he lied.

"Right," Hermione said. "Okay then." Then she had gone off to find Ron.

So far, there had been no news about Horcruxes at all. Harry knew what they were, he just couldn't find them. _The locket…the cup…the snake…and something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's _He understood the locket, and he remembered the snake from dreams, but he couldn't find anything of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's.

"Life's like that, sometimes," James told him one night, noticing that Harry wasn't spending as much time with his friends. "It seems like everything is going great, then something happens to mess it all up. That seems to happen to me a lot." He laughed at himself.

Harry smiled. "Actually, things weren't going very good from the beginning."

"Oh, I see," James said. He handed Harry a butterbeer. "I pay for this one."

"Thanks," Harry, even though he didn't really feel like drinking it. Still, he forced it down his throat.

Ron and Hermione appeared at the stairs, apparently looking for him. He tried to slink into the shadows, but Hermione had already spotted him. "Harry," she said, racing over to him. "It seems like we haven't seem you in… forever!"

"Well, I guess I've been a bit busy, haven't I?" Harry answered her, trying to keep a smile on his face.

"What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked. "You seem a bit… odd lately."

"Yeah, right, I'm odd. Maybe if you actually looked at something other than Hermione's lips once and a while, you'd notice something was up." Harry barked at him. Ron's face turned a bright red color.

"Harry," Hermione hissed. "Don't say things like that."

"Oh, right, side with him," Harry yelled, a little louder than he had meant to. "I mean, you have been snogging him a lot lately."

"Right, fine," Ron snapped back at him. "I guess you don't need any friends, if you're going to act like this to them."

"Ok, I guess so."

"Harry…don't" Hermione sobbed. "Please…"

"See you later, then," Ron said, in a harsh tone. He turned around and swiftly went to the stairs.

Hermione glanced after Ron, then back at Harry, as though not sure which one to side with. "Er.. Harry," She said after a moment. "Don't fight with him. All we've got right now is each other. We…"

"Go with him, I don't care." Harry barked. He turned around, leaving his back to her. He heard her sob, then her footsteps leading away, meaning that she had left. He didn't need them anyway.

There was a bang on the front door, and it opened, someone stepping inside. Harry heard the recognizable voice of Tom saying, "Welcome to the Dragon's Nest. I'll get a room as soon as possible." He was obviously drunk…again.

"That's okay, we'll wait." said a voice that Harry recognized. He turned to see who it was, but only felt a jolt as someone knocked into him, hugging him.

"Harry, you're all right, then." He pulled away and saw Ginny's face beaming at him.

"Good to see you, Harry," said Neville, standing behind Ginny. "Have a nice summer?"

**Sorry this chapter was so short, but I wanted to leave you in suspense again, and the fact that it's Turkey Day! Okay, don't forget, the more reviews I get, the faster I update.**


	13. Dumbledore's Army Returns

**Thanks for the reviews. Please review more though, I need reveiws!**

Chapter Thirteen- Dumbledore's Army Returns

"Ginny, Neville, Luna… what are you all doing here?" Harry felt the happiest he'd felt since Dumbledore's death, yet he felt slightly angry. "Ginny, I thought I told you to stay safe."

"And I thought I told you that I only feel safe when I'm around you," she retorted.

Harry couldn't find anything to argue against this. "What are you all doing here? How'd you get here?"

"It's quite a story, Harry," Neville told him. "It'll take a while to tell."

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Luna asked in her normal dream-like voice.

"Oh…Er… Upstairs, I think." Harry explained.

"Oh, good," Luna said, sounding relieved. "I was afraid that they'd been eaten by a Nightbear. Those things are threatening everyone these days. There's no safe place to go anymore." She drifted off, looking at the wall behind Harry.

Ginny, to anxious to wait, ran up the stairs to find Ron and Hermione. She hadn't seen her brother in over a month, and wanted to know he was alright. But what were they thinking, running away like that? They could have gotten caught. Harry's dream could have become a reality. Harry was so frustrated, he just decided not to say anything at the present moment.

Ron and Hermione bolted down the stairs. "Ginny, your alright," he was practically hugging her, and not letting her out of his sight. "That was pretty stupid, though, running away like that." Ron sat down at the table, careful to chose the chair farthest away from Harry as possible. Hermione, on the other hand, surprisingly sat next to Harry. Ron decided to ignore her and said, "What did you come after us for?"

"We wanted to help fight, too," Neville explained.

"We're part of Dumbledore's Army, and we'll do whatever it takes to help you tree." Ginny squealed, excited.

"You mean you've come to help Harry?" Ron asked. "He seems to think he can do all of this by himself."

"Ron," Ginny said. "What's with you?"

"Him and Harry are having a row," Hermione explained.

"Aw, come on now, we can't have you fighting." Ginny said. "We need to all be in this together. What do you say?" Ron only turned his chair so he was facing the opposite way than Harry.

Surprised at what was coming out of his mouth, Harry said, "Sorry, Ron. I didn't mean to snap at you that much. It just made me angry that you and Hermione weren't doing anything with me anymore."

"What are you talking about," Ron snapped. "You seemed to run away from us every time we got near you."

"See, there you go," Ginny said. "Now, you know the problem. Forget it ever happened."

"So how'd you get here?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, er, well," Neville started. "I can't entirely remember what made us leave."

"I'll tell them," Luna said. "We were getting onboard the Hogwarts Express, ready for another year at school, and we saw Ginny sort of duck off to the side of the train. She opened the door to the side as the train left the station, and sort off hopped off. We thought she'd gone crazy, or a Garfnick had taken over her brain, but we followed her, none the less, hoping to cure of the horrid creature in her head."

"There was nothing wrong with my brain," Ginny argued. "I was coming to find you, and they all of a sudden showed up and followed me no matter how much I tried to convince them to go back."

"We're Dumbledore's Army," Neville said. "And now with Dumbledore… gone, we've got to stay together."

"Right, anyway," Ginny said. "We spent the rest of the time, as none of us could apparate, walking here. It was quite a painstaking journey, and we had to ride the Muggle underground train thingy to get here, but we made it."

"Good thing, too," Luna said. "Hogwarts has to be swarming with Death Eaters by now. Dumbledore was that schools only protection."

"Oh and, erm, Harry," Ginny pulled a book out of her bag. "We stopped at Diagon Alley before coming here, and found this book. It had Horcruxes in it, so we decided to bring it to you, you know thinking it would help."

"Great, thanks," Harry said, taking the book.

"There's something else." Ginny told him. "We think you're the last Horcurx."


	14. Something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's

**I dedicate this chapter to the Harry Potter Fanatics Association! Thanks to all who reviewed.**

Chapter Fourteen- Something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's

Ginny pulled her hand over her mouth, as though not wanting to believe what she had just said. Tears were staring to form in her eyes. Neville began to rock back and forth, uncomfortably in his chair, shaking his head, and muttering to himself. Harry, hadn't said a word, as though Ginny hadn't even brought up the topic. There was a brief moment when no sound could be heard, until Hermione broke out into wailing sobs.

"Oh, Harry…" She cried, loudly.

Ron, slightly frightened, tried to calm Hermione down. "It's okay Hermione." He glanced around at the people that were now starring at them as though they were an interesting article in the Daily Prophet. "Ginny has no idea what she's talking about."

"Yes she does." Hermione slammed her fist down on the table and cried even harder. "I was just too stupid to think of it before." She threw herself onto Ron's shoulder, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked her, his voice slightly shaky. "I can't be a… a horcrux, it's impossible."

"Oh yes you can," Hermione wailed.

"Maybe we should take this conversation upstairs," Luna said, glancing around at the faces that were all plastered to them.

"Right, yea," Harry said, getting up and slumping up the stairs. It seemed impossible. Him a horcux? But, Hermione believed her. He shook his head in astonishment. That would mean for Voldemort to die, he would have to sacrifice himself. He wandered into his and Ron's room, without realizing where he was going. The rest of Dumbledore's Army followed.

Hermione had calmed down a little bit, but she was shaking uncontrollably. Ginny now had tears streaming down her face, but Harry wasn't paying attention, and Neville tried to comfort her. "Somebody needs to explain." Ron said.

"Think about it," Hermione told him. "_Neither can live while the other survives._ If Harry wants to kill Voldemort, he'll have to kill himself first. The night he tried to kill Harry when he was only a baby, h made Harry his last Horcrux. Whether it was on purpose or on accident, I don't know." She shuddered.

"Harry, you can't do it, though." Ginny cried. She collapsed on the floor. "Don't do it…please."

Harry didn't reply, he couldn't. His head swarmed with everything that was just revealed to him.

"Harry," Neville began. "I…we…" he wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Luna, who was usually full of unreal ideas, was silent.

"I think I want to be alone." Harry said, flopping down I his bed.

"Right, um, okay." Ron walked out of the room, followed closely by Hermione. Neville dragged Ginny out, and Luna closed the door.

Harry sighed and closed his eyes. Dumbledore had once told him… _Dumbledore!_ Harry reached under his bed and pulled out the book that the lady in the bookstore had given him. _Please be something there, please…_

Harry opened the book, and found only one sentence. One stupid sentence. _You know what you have to do, Harry._ How was that supposed to help him?

Harry threw the book across the room, denting the wall, then fell back in the bed. He tried to regain his thoughts. Dumbledore had once told him that the night Voldemort lost his powers, he 'accidentally' transferred some of himself into Harry. Harry could see that was a lie now. Harry _was _Voldemort. Voldemort was in inside of him, preserved inside of him. In some way, he knew what he had to do. He had to sacrifice himself to save everyone else. It was the only way…

There was a knock on the door, and Neville poked him head in. "Harry…?" He walked in. "Erm… I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Just peachy," Harry muttered.

"Okay," Neville said. "Right then… I'll just leave." He turned and walked out the door, slowly closing it behind him. He heard Neville sigh before the door clicked.

What id Voldemort had chosen Neville instead. Harry would never have this scar, he would never have been a Horcux, and he would never be here. For the first time in his life, Harry wished he and Neville had switched places.

Harry rolled over suddenly. How could he think like that? Neville had always been his friend. He had never let Harry down, ever, even when it involved danger. Harry squinted his eyes shut as hard as he could.

It all seemed to make sense now. Something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's. It was obvious he was in Gryffindor. There was just something more that harry couldn't connect. He wasn't quite sure what, but he silently promised himself that he would figure it our before… he died.


End file.
